NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents,
I want to extend a sincere heartfelt thank you to everyone for their trust in and support for me during my first year as principal. I am blessed to be a part of such a supportive community and parish, especially with how we have all come together during the transition of building our new church. There is no doubt that we are “Stronger Together!” I am incredibly grateful for our amazing teachers and staff. Their endless hours of planning, teaching, caring, and loving our students have indeed prepared each student for the next step in their academic journey.
Yesterday, we celebrated our last school Mass for this academic year. It was wonderful to gather together one last time in prayer to give thanks to our Lord for all of his blessings and the gift of Catholic Education. At the end of Mass, two of our 7th graders were presented with the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, which includes a $1,000 scholarship if they choose to attend Seton Catholic Preparatory in the fall of 2023. Congratulations to Camden Gross and Scarlet Flanders for their commitment to excellence, as demonstrated through academics and extracurricular involvement in our SJB community.
This has been an amazing year as we celebrated our 20th Anniversary and resumed our SJB traditions as well as created a few new ones. I am looking forward to the start of another fabulous year in August.
This will be the last Bulldog Bite for the 2021-22 school year. The next issue — and the first issue of the 2022-23 school year — will be emailed on July 15 with school updates, supply lists, events, and other news. In the meantime, our school calendar is always available online for important dates. Until then, I wish you all a safe and blessed summer!
Joyful Blessings,
Jamie Bescak, M.Ed., Principal
Do everything in love.
SCHOOL NEWS
Goodbye Mrs. Daniel
and Mrs. Vanderzyl
We bid a bittersweet farewell to two faculty members who will not be returning to SJB next year. Mrs. Jennifer Vanderzyl has accepted an assistant principal position at St. Theresa’s Catholic School, an opportunity she could not pass up. And Mrs. Rebecca Daniel is leaving full-time teaching to allow more quality time with her family. Fortunately, Mrs. Daniel may be available to sub on occasion. We thank both of these wonderful teachers for their loyal service to our school and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
The school office will be open May 31st - July 1st, 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The office will be closed July 4th - 8th. Summer hours will resume July 11th - August 5th, 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM; however, the office will be closed on Wed., Aug. 3 for a staff retreat. Regular school office hours will resume on Aug. 8th.
2022-2023 Supply Lists
With the 2021-2022 school year ending yesterday, teachers are currently assembling supply lists for next year. Look for these lists in the next issue of the Bulldog Bite, July 15th.
NEW Before- and After-School Program
St. John Bosco will now be offering Innovation Learning, a full-service, extended-day program for pre-school through 8th-grade children who need to be dropped off early (6:30 - 7:30 AM, M - F) and/or be picked up after school is dismissed (M - Th, 3:00 - 6: 00 PM; Friday, 12:30 - 6 PM. See details below:
Looking for LEGOs
SJB is preparing to upgrade both the STEM Program and the Media Room. If you have LEGOs that are taking up space in your home or you are tired of stepping on them, we will be happy to take them off your hands (and feet). Please consider donating them to our STEM Program. They may be dropped off in the front office for Mr. Macdonald.
Last Call for Anton Uniforms Sale
Purchase next year’s school uniforms now and save money! Anton Uniforms is offering 10% off SJB uniforms until May 31st. The discount code 10OFF is valid both in-store and online.
Click this link to save: Anton Uniform 10% Discount
Yearbooks Still Available
There is still time to order the special 20th Anniversary Edition of the St. John Bosco Yearbook. All orders will be shipped directly to your home address.
To purchase & customize your yearbook:
1. Go to www.treering.com/validate
2. Enter your school's passcode: 1013434873754555
Any questions about ordering your yearbook may be emailed to Mrs. Krissy Bileski at KBileski@sjbosco.org.
Scrip Summer Hours
We will be offering summer hours if you need to purchase any physical cards for your summer activities!
- June 7th: 12:15 - 1:30 PM (following VBS). NOTE: Scrip office closed the rest of that week.
- Tuesdays & Thursdays 8 - 9 AM for the remainder of June (6/14, 6/16, 6/21, 6/23, 6/28 & 6/30)
- July 4 - 8: School & Scrip Office Closed
- Tuesdays & Thursdays 8 - 9 AM for the remainder of July (7/12, 7/14, 7/19, 7/21, 7/26 & 7/28)
Dates are subject to change if something arises. Please email sjbscrip@sjbosco.org to place an order or with any questions!
Remember: You can always use your RaiseRight app all summer long to purchase electronic scrip on the go! Click here for detailed instructions on how to enroll!
- Next Bulldog Bite: Friday, July 15, 2022
- Meet the Teacher: Monday, August 8, 2022
- First Day of School: Wednesday, August 10, 2022
- Back-to-School BBQ: Friday, August 13, 2022
- Curriculum Night: Wednesday, August 17, 2022
PARISH NEWS
Family Promise Volunteers Needed
The St. Benedict/SJB community will again provide families with food and shelter this summer through the Family Promise Ministry. This charitable program provides a “hand up” to families who are temporarily without shelter. Families utilize a Day Center where they are provided social services and shower/laundry facilities, then transported to Desert Foothills United Methodist Church, 2156 E. Liberty Ln., where they receive a hot meal and a place to spend the night. Every morning at 5:30 AM, they are shuttled back to the Day Center for another day of work and school.
This is a very rewarding volunteer experience and summer is a convenient time to earn service hours, and volunteers are desperately needed! Please consider volunteering for all or part of our 2-week hosting commitment, May 29 – June 12. Volunteers are needed to provide meals, participate in after-dinner activities with the families, donate groceries, and/or be an overnight host for one night (sleep in a separate/private room).
Click the following link for more information: Family Promise Details and Volunteer Opportunities
If you would like to read more about Family Promise, go to www.familypromiseaz.org. AZ Family Promise is also on Facebook.
Questions? Contact Tracy Ryan at tracyryan18@cox.net
COMMUNITY NEWS
Seton Catholic Preparatory
Plan your summer now by registering for various Seton Catholic Prep camps. The following link contains a host of offerings:
Brophy College Prep
Brophy is excited to offer a full Summer Enrichment Program for rising 5th through 8th-grade boys and girls in June. Activities include sports camps, fitness classes, creative workshops, STEM and academic classes, high school prep camp, and more to keep the kids engaged, learning, and having fun this summer. Brophy Summer Enrichment Bulletin - 2022.pdf
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook
Stay up to date on classroom happenings by following us on Instagram @sjbbulldogs or Facebook@stjohnboscocatholicschool. We also encourage families to tag SJB on any photos or videos they post of their child(ren) from their personal social media accounts.
Until July 15 ...
Below are helpful links to information over the weekend:
School Website: https://sjbosco.org/
School Calendar: https://sjbosco.org/calendar
Faculty & Staff Contacts: https://sjbosco.org/faculty-staff
School Lunch Program: https://sjbosco.org/school-lunch
Parish Website: https://stbenedict.org/
The Bulldog Bite: Dr. Teri Pistacchio Aguiar, editor
Past Bulldog Bites: https://sjbosco.org/ (beneath Principal's picture)
Upcoming events are always available on our website events page.
For a more detailed list of yearly events, check the SJB website online calendar.
